CPU coolers are now dominated by monstrous dual tower models weighing in at
well over a kilogram and sporting 14 cm fans like the Phanteks
PH-TC14PE reviewed last year. The smaller PH-TC12DX takes us back a
couple years to a time when single towers with 12cm fans were as big as they
got. While 12cm fan tower types of coolers can still be pricey, they are no
longer top performance, at least when heavy overclocking is involved. But in
many situations, a more modest sized heatsink is more suitable.

The PH-TC12DX (blue).

Given Phanteks' inclination to borrow heavily from Noctua, one might assume
offhand that this is a copy of the NH-U12P,
but that's not the case. The TC12DX is noticeably skinnier, measuring 57 mm
wide compared to the 71 mm thick Notcua U12P tower. Its design is essentially
the same as that of the larger Phanteks TC14PE, shurnk slightly to a more modest
form factor. Like other Phanteks coolers, the TC12DX is available in several
different colors. The heatsink body and fan blades come in matching sets of
blue, red, black, and white. The shade of blue on our sample is striking and
a novel change from the usual chrome of its competitors. It helps differentiate
Phanteks in a market saturated with products that look mostly the same.

Box and contents.

Phanteks also copies Noctua's packaging protocols, shipping all their larger heatsinks with a common universal installation kit with the hardware segregated into separate plastic bags. Aside from the documentation and necessary mounting gear, there are fan isolation strips, a tube of thermal compound, and a sleeved Y cable for connecting both fans to a single fan header.